Diez Veces
by Stalk Me
Summary: Decades after the war, Matsumoto and a grown Hitsugaya find themselves in the human world once again. No longer able to pass for mom and son or bro and sis, they pose as a married couple and find out how much their relationship has changed.
1. Chapter 1

**Diez Veces**

_By Stalk Me_

- + -

The first time she saw him, he was nothing more than a fuzzy, white blur in her peripheral vision as her anger zoned in on the rude shop keeper that stood before him. He was a kid then, short and skinny and light enough for her to pick up with one hand. The thing she remembered most about him back then, however, was that his reiatsu was so powerful, so untamed and so _cold_ that it burned her.

He was none of those things now. The decades had come and gone, and her little Taichou had grown up. Tall and lean, his muscles were well-defined though not as bulky as some of the other male shinigami; human clothes suited him nicely. Matsumoto leaned against the hallway wall and stared, transfixed, at her Taichou's back; she watched as his shoulder blades cut jagged angles under his gray T-shirt as he wrestled with the key in the lock.

"You'd think that they'd stick us in a nicer place if what we're doing is so important," he muttered as he pulled out the bronze key and jammed it back into the lock in the door, trying once again to get it open.

Matsumoto shrugged, closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall. "At least they put us somewhere. Remember when we first started coming down to the human world? We had to find our own place."

"Don't remind me; I still have nightmares about Orihime's cooking!"

"Mmmm, those were the days!"

A loud clamor reverberated down the hall as Hitsugaya finally managed to get the door open. "Tch, it's not even furnished."

Matsumoto opened her eyes and saw that her Taichou had entered the tiny apartment. He was surveying the room with distaste, his right hand sneaking up his shirt to scratch his stomach as he did so; Matsumoto immediately eyed the fine, white trail of hair that started just below his navel and disappeared into his jeans. And then she felt it…his reiatsu.

What had changed the most about her Taichou was his reiatsu. Yes, it was still powerful – more so, in fact; however, it was tamed, controlled and…familiar. So familiar that most of the time, she hardly noticed it, except for when he deliberately reached out to her with it. He had long given up verbally summoning her to him; now all he did was seek her out with his reiatsu; it felt like a caress to her, warm and inviting. It was how he'd say _'You coming?'_.

Matsumoto bent over, picked up her bag and entered the apartment, surveying it with indifference. It was one room, a kitchen connecting to an open space that was intended to double as a bedroom and a living room. It had one window that faced the street. Along the right wall of the room was a narrow door that must have led to a bathroom.

"We'll need something to sleep on, some pillows and blankets. Food. Bath things." Hitsugaya reached into his back pocket and took out a wad of cash, counting out several bills and stuffing them back into his pocket and handing the rest of the cash to Matsumoto. "Can you handle it on your own?"

Her eyes followed him as he made his way to the window and opened it. "And where are you going?" she asked.

He was straddling the window sill, one foot on the fire escape, when he turned back to look at her, a wry smile on his face. "To find this Kai Kurasaki and see if she really is the one with all that spirit pressure that's attracting the Hollows. And if she is the one, to try to talk her into learning to control it."

"Good luck. If she's anything like her grandfather…"

"Yeah, I know; it'll take a massive Hollow attack on her family to get her to agree. So you'll be ok on your own?"

"You know I will. But before you go!" He paused again, one eye brow cocked questioningly. She came forward, reaching into her skirt pocket and pulling out a small envelope. "Here, they said we have to wear these." She handed him the gold band, and he eyed it in shock.

"It's a…"

"Wedding ring," she nodded. "They said you're too big for us to be posing as brother and sister. Humans apparently get suspicious when siblings our age room together." She slipped her own ring onto her finger; it was simple, a very small diamond. Hitsugaya continued to stare, disgruntled, at his gold band.

"You know they're getting a kick out of this, right?" he said as he slipped the ring onto his finger. His scowl was pronounced…and so cute.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "But they do have a point. That old woman who lived across from us the last time kept telling me that we were going against nature's law."

Hitsugaya blushed. "We didn't do anything."

Matsumoto smiled coyly. "She didn't know that. See you tonight?" Hitsugaya grunted in reply as he disappeared out the window. "BRING BACK TAKE-OUT!" Matsumoto called after him. She felt a slight surge in his reiatsu as his reply; she wasn't sure if that meant yes or no, but she took it as a good sign anyway.

- + -

"Couldn't spring for two mattresses?"

Matsumoto glanced up from the magazine that she was reading to see Hitsugaya climb in through the window. He closed it promptly, cutting off the chilly, winter air; the apartment didn't have very good heating. He carried a white, plastic bag that had what appeared to be two take-out boxes in it, and he raised the bag slightly, nonverbally asking her if she wanted some. Matsumoto set her magazine aside and got up from the mattress she had bought and put on the floor.

"We want to save as much money as we can for food," she explained as she approached the kitchen counter. "Mattresses don't come cheap, you know. Besides," she cocked a sly eyebrow at him as he pulled out the food and deliberately refused to look at her. "It's not like we haven't slept beside one another before."

Hitsugaya handed her a paper plate filled with meat and noodles. "Eat your food," he muttered, handing her a pair of chop sticks. Matsumoto's sly grin widened.

"Do you remember the first time we slept next to each other?" she asked.

"We were in the woods or something on a mission," Hitsugaya replied through a mouthful of food. "It was cold that night."

Matsumoto nodded. "You kept me warm." She dodged the piece of meat that Hitsugaya had flung at her with his chop sticks.

"I used my reiatsu to keep the air around you warm," he explained. "Don't make it sound like I was spooning you or something."

Matsumoto smiled as she bit into a piece of meat. The truth was that he _had_ spooned her before. They had found themselves having to share mats and mattresses ever since the beginning of his captaincy, and during those early days, he would lay as far away from her as possible, his posture completely rigid, as if he was afraid of accidently touching arms in their sleep. As they grew more comfortable with each other, however, he began to relax to the point where they were kicking each other and fighting over the covers. Then, as Hitsugaya grew older and had relationships with other women, Matsumoto found herself waking up more often than not in the crook of his arm. Neither ever acknowledged the fact out loud.

"So did you find her?" she asked, changing the subject to one that wouldn't make her Taichou blush.

He nodded. "Didn't get to talk to her, though. She's popular; I couldn't get her alone."

"A social Kurasaki?" Matsumoto asked, shocked. "Must be a recessive trait." She laughed at her own joke, then stopped, and sent a curious look to her Taichou. Hitsugaya had finished his food and was leaning against the counter, his hands gripping the edge of it as he stared at the lone mattress on the floor.

"I'm going to take a bath," he said suddenly, pushing himself away from the counter and heading towards the bathroom. "Did you buy towels?"

"Yeah, but we have no hot water."

She thought she heard him say 'good' as he slammed the bathroom door. Smiling to herself, Matsumoto finished her food, cleaned up the kitchen and walked over to their bags, intending to change into some sleepwear. She had brought a short, silky nightgown, unaware that it was winter in the human world. While she figured that Hitsugaya would keep the air around them relatively warm, she also decided that silk and sleeveless was not the best option for a chilly night. Therefore, she walked over to Hitsugaya's bag, pulled out a pair of his boxers and a T-shirt and slipped those on instead.

She was already in bed, buried under the covers, when Hitsugaya came out of the bathroom, one hand firmly grasping the towel around his waist. As soon as he saw that she was in bed, he reached out his arm and turned off the light. It took several seconds for Matsumoto's eyes to adjust to the darkness, and when they did, she saw that her Taichou was closer to the bed, leaning over and rummaging around his bag with one hand. He pulled out a fresh pair of boxers and straightened. Their eyes met briefly before he turned his back to her and dropped the towel. A corner of Matsumoto's lips pulled upward; she had seen him naked before too, on missions when they had no choice but to bathe in a river together. It was because of this that she was the first one to realize when he had hit puberty. It was shortly after the war, and they were bathing quickly in a stream when she noticed that his limbs were longer, her shoulders broader and that an Adam's apple had formed in his throat. It was then that she realized that someday, her Taichou would catch up to her.

'_He's obviously caught up to me,' _she thought as she watched his muscles work as he pulled on the boxers.

She made room as he got into bed with her, but once he was settled, lying on his back with his arms folded behind his head, she moved closer, wrapping an arm around his stomach and resting her head on his chest. As if on cue, one of his arms immediately curled around her shoulders, his fingers absentmindedly playing with her hair.

And neither said a word.

* * *

First part of a three chapter fic! Chapter two coming soon!


	2. Chapter 2

**Diez Veces**

_By Stalk Me_

- + -

"She goes to _Tokyo University_!?"

Her Taichou cocked an eyebrow at her, amused over her apparent shock. "Yeah," he said. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and entered the campus through the main gate. "That's her right there," he added, nodding towards a young woman with fiery, orange locks and what looked like a fiery personality to match; she was surrounded by a small crowd, telling some amusing story and causing those around her to laugh raucously.

"She's a university student?" Matsumoto asked again, unable to believe it. "I thought she'd be in high school like Ichigo was when we found him." She sent a glance over to her Taichou and noticed that his lips were pulling slightly upward; he was fighting a smile.

"Nope," he said. "Ichigo's pretty old now, Ran. Of course his grandchildren are grown. I think this girl actually has an older brother who's already married and expecting a baby in the Spring." He paused. "Well he's not; his wife is, obviously."

Matsumoto barely noticed her Taichou's joke; she was caught off guard by his use of her nickname. The first time he had called her Rangiku was during the war. They had been fighting Gin at the time, and the former captain of the third division had dealt her such a powerful blow that it caused her to lose consciousness; the only thing she remembered as she drifted into darkness was her Taichou calling out her first name. Several hours later, she had awakened to Hitsugaya keeping vigil over her bedside. In her drugged and exhausted state, she had accidentally called him by his first name; she expected him to scowl at the informality, but he had merely smiled down at her, a genuine smile, and said, _'We did it, Ran. We killed him.'_ It had been the happiest moment of her life, and she still received a pleasant shiver down her spine every time Hitsugaya let her nickname slip through his lips.

"Damn, it looks like we'll have to wait until after her class to get her alone." Matsumoto was drawn out of her thoughts by her Taichou's statement. She turned to see the group of students entering a nearby building. "Psychology only lasts an hour, so we might as well sit around and wait," he added.

"You memorized her class schedule?" Matsumoto asked, shocked.

Hitsugaya glanced at her over his shoulder, his eyes narrow, as he walked over to a nearby bench. "You should have too; it was in the paperwork given to us before we came down here."

"Oh." Matsumoto waved an airy hand. "Well then." She noticed Hitsugaya roll his eyes at her as he sat down on the bench, but he mercifully didn't scold her either. She walked over to where he was sitting and joined him. "An hour, eh?" she asked. He nodded, and she groaned, adjusting herself so that she was lying down on the bench, her head in Hitsugaya's lap, her hair spilling over the edge. Hitsugaya's hand immediately began threading through her long locks habitually. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his hand in her hair.

"Ran," he said after a long silence. Matsumoto opened her eyes and glanced up at him. It was the second time in under an hour that he had used her nickname. Something was up, and judging by the firm line his mouth was drawn in, it might not be good.

"What is it, Shiro-chan?" she asked, using his nickname as well. He winced as if the sound of the name hurt his ears.

"I have something to tell you," he said slowly. Matsumoto was genuinely surprised that he didn't tell her to call her Hitsugaya Taichou or Toshirou. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, as if unsure of how to start. "I'm not sure if you'll like it or not," he admitted.

He was still playing with her hair, almost as though he was trying to comfort her. Or maybe he was the one who needed the comfort; Matsumoto was unsure.

"What is it?" she asked, sitting up as worry crept into her chest. His hand left her hair and fell to his side. "Is someone hurt?"

"No." He wasn't looking at her; instead he was staring straight ahead at one of Tokyo University's buildings; it was almost as though he couldn't face her. He took a deep breath. "Soi Fong has decided to leave Sereitei to join Yuroichi and Urahara here."

Matsumoto blinked rapidly. That's it? He wanted to share some gossip with her?

"That's…" Matsumoto started, trying to think of a word. "Kind of kinky, actually, but whatever floats their boat. I don't judge."

"That's not it," Hitsugaya stated firmly; he sounded frustrated. "With Soi Fong gone, we need someone to fill her spot." He looked at her then, his blue-green stare sending a jolt to her stomach much like a punch. "I nominated you," he admitted at last.

Matsumoto couldn't breath; she felt hollow, as if everything about her had faded away. She could only stare at her Taichou, the one man she had trusted never to leave her.

"The others agreed," Hitsugaya continued. He was staring ahead again, blush tingeing his cheeks. "You'll take your captain's examination when we return."

Matsumoto couldn't believe it. After nearly a century of being captain and vice-captain, her Taichou was finally trying to get rid of her.

"ARE YOU CRAZY?" she yelled. Hitsugaya winced but didn't shush her. "I CAN'T BE A CAPTAIN!"

"What are you talking about?" he snapped, his eyes narrowed at her. "You mastered bankai ages ago. You're one of the best fighters we have."

"Ikkaku…"

"Isn't a leader," he interrupted her. "You are. You're the best person for the spot." He paused. "I thought this was what you wanted!"

She was silent; her words died in her mouth, leaving her only able to breathe deeply and glare at her Taichou. Once upon a time, it was what she wanted; now she wasn't so sure. All she knew was that she did not want to leave Hitsugaya. She did not want someone else to fill her shoes, to take over as vice-captain. Their third seat was a pretty young thing, not much older than Hitsugaya himself. Matsumoto didn't like the idea of this young girl taking her place in Hitsugaya's life.

"You have no idea what I want," she said at last, getting up from the bench and stalking away. She needed a drink, because she, honestly, didn't know what she wanted either.

- + -

She wasn't surprised when she felt his reiatsu approach her from behind, even less surprised when his hands gathered her hair and held it back as she continued to heave over the toilet. Hitsugaya had been holding back her hair ever since the first time she got too drunk in his presence. Even back then, when he was an awkward little boy filling a man's shoes, he was still loyal enough to stand behind her during her most disgusting and embarrassing times, holding her hair back and not minding if his hands got a little dirty.

"You haven't drank enough to get sick in a long time," he commented once she was done.

She reached out and flushed the toilet, unable to respond in any other way, in fear of vomiting again. She heard Hitsugaya rummaging around in the makeup bag she had sitting on their small basin, then felt him pull her hair back into a ponytail, a skill she had taught him to master long ago. She wondered, vaguely, if he had used the newfound skill with other girls; then she remembered that she had actually seen him braid Hinamori's hair once while they were dating, and, for the first time in her life, Matsumoto felt jealous of the girl, even though she and Hitsugaya had broken up almost forty years ago.

He was sitting beside her now, silently rubbing small circles on her back, just like he had always done when she was sick.

"Hitsugaya Taichou," she said, her voice cracking uncomfortably after being sick.

"Toshirou," he correctly, firmly, at once.

Matsumoto was taken aback. She used to delight in the times when he would let her call him by his first name, but now it served only as a reminder that they would soon be equals, that he would no longer be her Taichou.

"Shiro-chan," she quipped harshly, hoping to hurt him in some way. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed that she accomplished the opposite; he was actually smiling. She sighed and shook her head in frustration, turning back to face the toilet, though she no longer felt sick. "Why'd you do it?" she asked weakly. "Is it because I don't do my paperwork most of the time?"

He chuckled behind her. His hand stopped rubbing circles on her back, and the next thing she knew, his arms were around her, pulling her back so that she could lean against him and rest her head on his chest. She couldn't help but smile wanly. She had always felt safe in his arms, ever since the first time he held her all those years ago, just after the war.

"Ran, if I was going to get rid of you for that, then I would have done it a _long_ time ago." She laughed, but stopped herself very suddenly when he continued. "I don't like the idea of not spending every day with you in my office either," he admitted.

"Then why…"

His lips were suddenly close to her ear, and she became acutely aware of his hands on her stomach, one of which was drifting, feather-light, up her ribcage, stopping just below her breast and trailing back down again.

"I just think that you can be so much more than just my vice-captain," he whispered.

Matsumoto turned and stared at him, unsure of what exactly he was saying. Was he merely suggesting that she had the sills of a captain, or was there something…more…to his words.

"Toshirou?"

He didn't reply, didn't offer any explanation. He merely stared at her with an intensity he usually reserved for training.

"You need sleep," he said at last, standing up. She moved to get to her feet, but Hitsugaya had swooped down and picked her up before she could do so. Shock washed over her as it always did when she was reminded that her Taichou was now strong enough to carry her, but all her shocked melted away, replaced by new feelings entirely, when he gently lowered her down onto the mattress.

Their eyes locked, and Matsumoto knew that if he would get into bed with her, if he would settle on top of her, she would let him have anything he wanted. It was then that she knew _exactly _what she wanted.

His name died on her lips, however, as he pulled away and went to the foot of the mattress to take off her boots.

"I have to go see Ichigo," he said while he pulled one boot off and started on the other. "I think all his children were born with strong reiatsus, but he's been hiding them with his own. Now that he's getting older, well, obviously he's not doing such a good job anymore. We might have to train more than one girl."

His words went in one ear and out the other. Matsumoto didn't like the idea of him leaving her.

"You'll come back, right?" she asked, feeling more vulnerable than ever before.

A smile pulled at Hitsugaya's lips as he swooped in and quickly kissed her forehead, pulling away before she could pull him down to her lips, but not fast enough that she didn't see the blush tinge his cheeks.

"You know I will," he replied as he made his way to the window.

"Our relationship's changing, isn't it, Taichou?" she called after him, needing to know.

He paused, halfway out of the window and sent her a sly smile over his shoulder. "It's Toshirou now, Rangiku."

That was his answer.

* * *

Someone asked in a review what the other characters are up to, and there's actually a lot of background story to this fic that I'm not sharing. I've been trying to write this for about a year now, and this is what's finally coming out; however, I'm keeping it simple, focussing primarily on the Hitsu/Matsu relationship. I imagine some shinigami died in the war (the most notable being old man Yama), but all your favorites lived in my mind (Bya, Renji, etc). One thing that I think is worth noting is that in my mind for this fic, I had Karin die young (late 30s maybe) and Hitsu started a relationship with her (in the afterlife) after he and Momo broke up. He's secretly dreading the day when Ichigo dies and comes to the afterworld to kick Hitsu's ass for sleeping with his sister. :P

I'm also amazed that no one's asked me about my title yet. Any guesses as to what it means?


	3. Chapter 3

**Diez Veces**

_By Stalk Me_

- + -

She awoke to darkness. Night had fallen, and Hitsugaya had yet to return to the apartment. He was close though; she could feel his reiatsu. Strong as ever.

Rubbing sleep from her eyes and ignoring the slight headache that thrummed at her temples, she sat up and pulled on her boots. She was still dressed from that morning: tights, a short skirt, T-shirt and jacket. Over two hundred years old, and she could still dress like a teenager.

She stood and went to the window, wrenching it open and climbing out onto the fire escape. He was on the roof, his favorite place to hide ever since he was a boy. Sitting against the edge of it, his arms draped lazily over the sides, he was staring up at the heavens and gave no physical sign of noticing her approach, though his reiatsu surged slightly as though saying 'hello'. Matsumoto crossed her arms in order to stay warm as she followed Hitsugaya's gaze up to the stars.

"They're not so bright in the city, are they?" she asked.

"No," Hitsugaya replied simply. He reached out to her then, gently tugging on her arm and bringing her into his lap, his arms wrapping around her like a blanket. Matsumoto was surprised; it was the first time he had allowed her to sit on his lap. She wrapped one arm around his shoulders and twisted her upper body to face him. It was then that she noticed the bruise staining his left cheekbone black and blue.

"What happened?" she asked, gently touching his cheek, just below the bruise.

He grinned up at her. "Ichigo's still a grumpy bastard," he answered. "He didn't like the fact that we had figured him out."

"So you were right?"

"Of course I was," he replied, somewhat grumpily. "Well, I was right that he was hiding Kai's strong reiatsu with his own. But she's the only one. His children and other grandkids have very weak reiatsus. They shouldn't be much of a problem."

"Will Ichigo let us train her?"

Hitsugaya nodded. "He insists that he should be present when we're training her, though." His lips then twisted up into a sly grin. "And I'm not to be left alone with the girl either," he added. "She has a crush on me; Ichigo didn't like it."

Matsumoto bristled with agitation. "Did she see your wedding ring?" she asked.

"Yeah, but she's a feisty one. Doesn't really care that I'm taken. Ow!"

One of his hands left her waist to rub at his tender bruise; Matsumoto had slapped him. He was still smiling though.

"Actually, I have a confession to make about the wedding rings," Matsumoto announced. She adjusted herself in his lap, curling up slightly and resting her head on his shoulder; his arm wrapped around her once more.

"You're the one who came up with the idea for them," he stated.

She immediately snapped her head up to look at him. "You knew!?" she asked, completely shocked. Hitsugaya shrugged indifferently. "Why did you go along with it then?"

He stared at her, almost pleadingly. "You're really going to make me say it out loud?" he asked.

"Yes." She had no idea what he was talking about exactly, but she knew that she had to hear whatever it was.

He pulled forward slightly, one hand tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear as he brought his lips to it. "I'd do anything for you, Rangiku. I love you."

She felt as though all of the air had been knocked from her; it was hard to breathe, and all she could do was stare at Hitsugaya. She gently caressed his uninjured cheek; it was tinged pink with his blush.

"You're not going to say it back?" he asked at last.

She grinned slightly. "No." His eyes widened; he looked wounded. She leaned forward and touched foreheads with him. "Take me back to the apartment."

"Matsumoto, I…"

But she cut him off before he could apologize, her lips capturing his for the first time in all the years that they've known each other. His body tensed, then relaxed slightly as he held her tighter and kissed back, his lips moving slowly against hers.

After a few moments, she pulled away, untangled herself from his arms and stood. He gazed up at her, his brows knitted in both confusion and irritation. She loved that look on him. Her grin widened mischievously.

"I'm going to show you just how much I love you," she said at last.

Hitsugaya raised an amused eyebrow and slowly got to his feet. "You have no idea how long I've waited for this," he told her as he started to follow her to the fire escape. They started descending the stairs, Matsumoto in front and Hitsugaya close on her heels.

She grinned slyly. "What? Finally becoming a man?" she teased.

He chuckled. "I think you know that I already have."

She turned suddenly, pushing up against the building and leaning in predatorily. He grinned at her reaction.

"No offense to Hinamori or any of the other girls," she whispered, her face close to his. "But that was just child's play. I'm going to show you how it's really done. I hope you're up for it."

His voice was close to a growl. "I think I can keep up," he said, leaning in to kiss her, but she pulled away, and continued the trek down the stairs.

"Good," she said. "Because I'm going to keep you up all night. And probably all night tomorrow, and the night after that too."

They had reached their window, and Hitsugaya pulled it open for her. He grinned as she climbed in. "I look forward to it," he said before climbing in himself and letting the window slide shut. He took her into his arms once again, holding her close as he smiled down at her. He then picked her up and carried her to the bed.

They were no longer shinigami and kid, nor captain and vice-captain. They were just Toshirou and Rangiku.

Forever.

* * *

The end! I know it's short, but I meant for it to be. Most of you had correctly guessed that Diez Veces means Ten Times, and someone hopefully suggested that Ten Times means that there'll be ten chapters! Sorry, but no. Like I said before, I had planned for this to just be a little snippet about how their relationship changes from Captain and Vice-Captain to a romantic one. As for the secret meaning between Ten Times, this story is about ten first times between Matsu and Hitsu. The first time they meet, the first time they slept beside each other, the first time they said each other's names, the first time they saw each other naked, the first time he held her, the first time he held her hair while she threw up, the first time she sat in his lap, the first time she was jealous, the first time they kiss and the first time they told each other that they loved one another. ...And technically the first time they have sex together, but I've faded out before that happened so that I could keep it rated T. Anyway, I hope you guys liked it!

And if you guys like Harry Potter, I have a Valentine's Day one-shot that I'll be posting sometime between now and Valentine's Day, so keep your eyes peeled for that.


End file.
